


Promises Made

by Trespasser94



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Mild Blood, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:40:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29812020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trespasser94/pseuds/Trespasser94
Summary: A little boy with mousy brown hair sneaks out to fight in the Final Battle. In the end, he is another face. But what happened to him on that fateful night?
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Promises Made

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever tragedy and non-Drarry. This story took a lot out of me and is now very close to my heart. 
> 
> It's in the tags, but I feel the need to mention that this is a tragedy, with what you might call a bitter-sweet ending.  
> Trigger Warning for mild violence, mentions of blood and injury, death, loss, and mentions of war.
> 
> Lastly, this fic would not have existed if it weren't for my friends Ghostie and Kaedemarie. I wouldn't have had the courage. Thank you so much, I love you both!

**Promises Made**

The sky burned with the colors of the tragedy it beheld.

Red for the blood that flowed like a river, showing no end in sight. 

Orange for the flames that devoured, as though they were a monster needing to be fed. 

Black for the smoke that crept through the air, coiling and choking in all its malevolence. 

The air was thick, pulsating with the symphony of disaster it was forced to flow through. 

Explosions, made by those that were intent on destruction. 

Shrieks, screams, and whimpers of the innocent, clinging to hope with their very last breath. 

Hysterical cackling that pierced the night, made by the malicious and insane alike. 

Dennis Creevy did not see the colors.

He did not hear the sounds. 

He noticed nothing of the chaos that surrounded him. 

For Dennis, the world slowed to a stand-still, his focus narrowed to a single pin-prick in time. The only thing he could see, the only thing that existed, was this one horrifying moment. He could only watch in horror as a familiar head of mousy-brown curls, identical to his own, disappeared underneath an avalanche of rubble. 

He stood still, completely in shock. Then, as the dust settled, he began to run.   
  


Faster

_You can’t_

Run faster

_It’s too late_

Push harder

_He’s already gone_

There has to be something I can do

_You couldn’t do anything from the start._

**SHUT UP!**

His muscles and lungs screamed in agony as he continued to run, battling the voice that taunted him with the truth. 

Dennis watched as the group of madmen departed. Having finished their task, whatever it was, they had moved on to cause chaos elsewhere. 

Not that it mattered. Dennis didn’t care about them. 

Colin.

He had to get to Colin. 

A sickening feeling swept over Dennis as he approached the wreckage. From a distance, it looked immense. Up close, it was a mountain, utterly impassable. 

Dennis climbed and scrambled until he reached the area where his brother had fallen; the sight of Colin being crushed was forever burned into his mind. Dennis was sure this was the right spot. 

In his desperation, Dennis completely forgot that he was a wizard. He dropped to his hands and knees and began frantically pushing through the rubble, screaming for his brother at the top of his lungs. He shoved and pushed and struggled, oblivious to his hands and arms getting torn to pieces by the debris. 

Coming upon a rather large piece of rubble, Dennis put every ounce of his strength into moving it. No matter how hard he tried it wouldn’t budge. A great wail of despair escaped from his throat, and in his torment and frustration, he lashed out at the only thing he could. His hands flew at the wreckage as he poured all of his hatred into destroying it... 

The pain from his hands being ripped apart woke Dennis up. Suddenly, he remembered he could use magic and pulled his wand from his robes, shouting, “Winguardiam leviosa!” After a few moments, the piece of wall lifted just enough to allow Dennis to move it aside. 

It felt like an eternity to Dennis, but finally, he was able to spot his brother just beneath one final layer of small pieces of brick. Slowly and gently moving the final pieces out of the way, Dennis came upon the small and broken body. 

_There’s so much blood…_

_His robes… They’re torn…_

_I should clean his face..._

Dennis tore a piece of his own robe and used it to gently wipe the blood from his brother’s face. 

_He’s… So pale…_

_He’s not smiling…_

_He always smiles...no matter what._

_Wake up…_

_Big brother…_

Something in Dennis broke at that moment. Whatever it was, it shattered into a million pieces, and Dennis knew it could never be whole again. Sobs of anguish racked his body as he buried his face in his brother’s chest, allowing the whirlpool of pain and grief to pull him under, drowning him.   
  


_Bump-bump, bump-bump, bump-bump_  
  
  


A heartbeat. Small. Faint. Fragile. But there. 

The beautiful sound was a life preserver, allowing Dennis to surface from his tormented grief, if only for a moment. Just long enough to breathe again. 

Colin was alive. 

Dennis was struck by a surge of purpose. Realizing that they were very much out in the open, unprotected, and in danger of more debris falling on them. Moving as carefully as he could, Dennis pulled Colin towards the nearby field, hoping not to hurt him any more than he was already. 

As much as he tried to be gentle, Dennis was grateful his brother was simply unconscious, sure that he would be in unbearable pain from the movement had he been awake. 

When he finally reached a clearing, Dennis collapsed onto the grass with his brother still in his arms, using the last of his strength to place his head against Colin’s chest once more. 

Dennis had no idea how long they lay there. It could have been minutes or hours for all he knew. He passed the time by counting each heartbeat and each breath, every time wondering if this one would be the last. 

The sounds and colors of war and death continued to bleed together, becoming harder and harder to distinguish from one another. 

Suddenly, a new sound was added to the symphony. The most beautiful kind of sound to ever be heard amid disaster.

“D-Dennis?” 

It was a rasping whisper, just barely clinging to life. 

“Colin!’ Dennis exclaimed, his overwhelming relief preventing him from saying more, as tears continued to stream down his face. 

“You…” Colin paused, wincing in pain, “You shouldn’t have followed me.”

“Well… I’m just like you aren’t I?” Dennis said, choking on an empty laugh as his tears continued to flow. “After all, you shouldn’t have come here either.” 

Colin started to chuckle before clenching his teeth and digging his fingers into the grass, letting out a small groan of what must have been unbearable pain. 

_If I was as battered as he is, I would be screaming. He’s trying his best to hold it back. For me._

The respect and admiration Dennis had for his brother grew by leaps and bounds at that moment. He wouldn’t have thought that it was even possible. 

“I guess… we really are Gryffindors, huh?” Colin croaked after several silent moments, giving his best attempt at a smile, “Brave… And stupid.”

“Heh, yeah… We are, aren’t we?” Dennis faltered, his voice cracking with emotion. 

Something was coming. 

He didn’t want to believe it. But in his heart, he knew. 

“Dennis, look at me,” Colin said as forcefully as he could manage. 

He didn’t want to. He couldn’t face this. But he had no choice. 

Dennis turned towards his big brother, who had managed to barely lean up on his elbows. He saw fire and acceptance in Colin’s eyes, and it petrified him. 

“I’m going to die, Dennis.” 

“No,” Dennis whispered, “Look at you. You’re here. Your heart is beating,” trying to convince himself, “You… You’ll be fine,” he insisted, beginning to ramble, “I’m sure the battle will be over soon and someone will come along and-”

“Dennis. Stop talking.” Colin said, cutting his brother off. “I’m sorry if I got your hopes up, but the only reason I’m alive right now is because of my shield charm. It wasn’t enough, and we both know it. My injuries are too severe. No one is coming, at least not anytime soon. I’ll be long gone by then.”

Shaking his head in fierce denial, “No!” he wept, “You… You can’t leave me.” Stuttering through his words, Dennis wailed, “You’re my big brother! What am I supposed to do without you?” 

“Shh,” Colin said, reaching out to stroke Dennis’s hair.

Dennis couldn’t help but go back to a time when they were little, every time he had a nightmare, Colin would stroke his hair in just the same way he was doing now, soothing his fears. Beneath the pain and fear, there was a sense of shame that his brother was comforting him at a time like this. Dennis began to sob, wishing he could be stronger for his brother. He would have given anything to wake up in his room right now and realize this whole thing had been a nightmare. 

“It’s going to be alright, Denny” Colin said softly. 

“No, it’s not,” Dennis protested through his tears, flinching at the sound of his old nickname, “If only I had-”

“No,” Colin insisted, “Dennis Creevey. I’m your brother and that means you have to listen to me when we are at school.” 

Dennis couldn’t help but smile, if only a little, at the old line that used to irritate him so much. “You’re only a year older, you git,” he said, repeating his usual response, fondness replacing his typical annoyance. 

“I’m still older than you, and it counts, so there. Now, this isn’t your fault,”

Dennis shook his head, attempting to reject Colin’s words, but he was ignored. 

“There was never anything you could have done,” Colin persisted sternly. 

Dennis grimaced as his brother echoed the words that had invaded his mind earlier, still refusing to be absolved of his guilt. 

Like always, Colin seemed to know what Dennis was thinking. “You don’t believe me, but it’s true. The moment I decided to sneak-out, this was going to happen. There was never another possibility. Got it?”

Unable to respond, Dennis leaned once more against his brother, both soothed and saddened at the faint beating that was growing steadily slower. 

For several moments they lay in silence, until once again Colin spoke, “I need you to do me a couple of favors, Dennis. Can you do that?”

“Anything, bubba,” Dennis whispered, feeling so small and helpless that he couldn’t help but use the old nickname. 

“First, after I’m gone, I need you to leave me here.”

“ **What?!** ” Dennis exploded, “How can you-”

“Don’t be a Gryffindor,” Colin ordered. The ferocity in his voice shook Dennis to the core. He had no choice but to listen, no matter how much he didn’t want to. 

“When I’m gone, there’s no reason to stay. Someone will find me, eventually. The only thing that matters now is that you make it out alive. Dennis, you have to leave me here.”

“Colin… You know I can’t do that…” Dennis faltered.

“You can, and you will.” Colin’s voice shook as tears spilled over and he began to plead, “Please Dennis. Get out of here. Survive. But more than that, live. Go to a different school, away from here. Learn about magical creatures. Explore the world.”

Using all of the strength he could muster, Colin reached out and pulled his brother into a hug.

“Promise me,” he begged. 

“A-alright bubba,” Dennis croaked, his throat aching with the effort of saying the horrific words.

Pulling away, Colin continued staring at Dennis for several moments, as though trying to decide if Dennis was lying. Once he was satisfied, he continued, “You won’t be able to get to the Room of Requirement, so you’ll have to get to the Hog’s Head on foot. All the fighting is at the castle, so you should be safe enough.” 

Not wanting to even think about this any longer, Dennis changed the subject, “What’s the other favor?” 

“Do you remember where I keep all of my photos in our room?”

Dennis nodded, “The expandable trunks underneath your bed. I can’t even imagine how many pictures are in there.” 

“Yeah, I went a bit overboard. There’s a lot, but I need you to go through them for me. Gather the pictures of the students and the school and take them to Harry.”

It would most likely take months, but it didn’t sound like a difficult task. “Why Harry?” He couldn’t help but wonder aloud. 

“I never really thought of what to do with them before. I just loved capturing moments and keeping them forever. A lot of students are going to die tonight. I want their families to see those moments. Harry can make that happen.” 

It was a wonderful idea. Dennis didn’t hesitate at all before agreeing. 

“Oh and when you go, could you apologize to Harry for me, for being so annoying?”

“You weren’t...” Dennis tried to say, stopping when Colin gave him a reproachful look, “Stop that, Denny. I’m dying, not clueless. We were both annoying. We treated him like a shiny celebrity, rather than a real person with a weight on his shoulders. Anyway, I need you to tell him one more thing. Tell him it’s not his fault.” 

Dennis looked at his brother curiously. Why would Harry think it was his fault?

“It doesn’t make sense, does it? But I know he will, just like you will even though I told you not to. Tell him what I told you. There was nothing anyone could have done.”

“If he’s anything like me, he won’t accept that answer,” Dennis argued. 

“Probably,” Colin admitted, “Tell him anyway. I made my choice, and this is the consequence I have to face. I’m not afraid,” he smiled, “I am a Gryffindor, after all.”

“Fine.” Dennis said, “But you better be waiting for me when I do get up there.” 

“Of course. Just don’t make it anytime soon. Live and have a life. For me. I love you, Denny.” 

“I love you too, bubba,” Dennis whispered. 

Nothing else was said that night. There were no other words that needed to be said. Dennis leaned against Colin’s chest again, holding on as long as he could. 

_Bump-bump...bump...bump…_

All was still, and Dennis hugged his brother one last time. 

_Get it together, you have the rest of your life to miss him._

It was the same internal voice that had taunted him when he was running towards the castle. It was only now that he realized how much it sounded like Colin. 

_You have to get out alive, you have to keep your promise._

Now, instead of pushing the thoughts away, he welcomed them. 

“Very funny, bubba,” he said aloud, “You bossed me around so much, your voice became my conscience.” 

Dennis stood, wincing at the pain from his injuries. He turned away, refusing to look at the ground behind him. He knew instinctively that if he saw his brother’s face again, pale and lifeless, he would lose his resolve. 

_Quit standing around. Get going._

He sighed, reminding himself to ask a therapist if having your deceased brother voicing your internal monologue was something to worry about.“Alright, alright, I’m going. Sheesh.” Regardless of whether he was losing his grip on reality, “Colin” had a point. He could spend the rest of his life missing his brother, but first, he had to get out. He had to keep his promises.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Dennis took off running and didn’t look back.

**_One Year Later:_ **

“Number 12, Grimmauld Place. This is it” 

A young mousy-haired boy wearing muggle jeans and a blue button-up shirt climbed the rickety steps of the manor and knocked on the door, shifting the package he carried in his arms. 

After a few moments, the door opened revealing none other than Harry Potter. 

“Hi Harry,” he said, holding out his hand, “You probably don’t remember me… I’m Dennis Creevey... Colin Creevey’s brother.”  
  


**_The End_ **


End file.
